Tips & Tools Weekly (Vol. 19, No. 26)

Congratulations to Our $150 Quarterly Prize Winner!
Cadalyst congratulates tipster Levi Connolly, who won the Cadalyst CAD Tips prize drawing for the second quarter of 2014. The next drawing for a $150 Amazon gift card will be held on October 1, and you can start qualifying now; the more CAD and LISP tips you submit, the better your chances of winning. Submit your tips now!

Macro for a Quick UCS Align-to-Object ButtonScott Lawson shares this tip for aligning the User Coordinate System (UCS) to rotated objects so you can label or create parallel objects. "You can create a quick button macro using the UCS command to accomplish that task in one pick." View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Inventor Tip: Constrain a Section LineDavid Gaskill shows us how to add constraints to section lines that allow you to modify your part without affecting where your section line appears. View the complete tip and post your feedback.

Review Cadalyst's Tip Submission Guidelines, then Submit Your Tip for your favorite CAD software. Be sure to tell us which software version you use. If we publish your original, previously unpublished tip, you can earn a gift card (learn more about prizes here). Please submit only tips or code that are your original work. By submitting code, you grant Cadalyst the right to print and distribute your tip in print, digitally, and by other means. Cadalyst and individual authors retain all rights to submitted tips.

By submitting code, you agree that your code can be reused as-is or modified by other users in conjunction with AutoCAD or other software programs to gain efficiencies in that software for professional or personal use, and that your code can be shared freely among users. Users do not have the right to republish code in any manner or format (such as on a blog web site or in a printed document) for personal or commercial gain without written permission from Cadalyst and the original author.

Got Feedback? To share feedback about one of today's tips, navigate to the tip using the link provided above, then click Comment. The Comment tool is available to registered users of Cadalyst'sCAD Tips site.

Tips & Tools Weekly software tips for AutoCAD are reviewed in the latest version of AutoCAD by Contributing Editor R.K. McSwain. Use all tips at your own discretion, please. We're sorry, but Cadalyst staff cannot provide assistance with technical problems. Please refer to Cadalyst's LinkedIn and Facebook communities for assistance with AutoLISP and other AutoCAD customization questions.

Limited-Time Pdf2cad Promotion Offering Customers 20% Off
ThePowerXChange and XChange UK are offering users 20% off the regular price of pdf2cad software, which is used to transform vector PDF files into editable CAD drawings. The 20% discount is for a single-user license purchased before September 30, 2014, from either ThePowerXChange or XChange UK. Pdf2cad is available for Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X.

Increase Quality, Safety, and Reliability with Simulation
July 21, 2014
2 p.m. ET
This Fisher/Unitech webinar will demonstrate how to reduce material usage while maintaining quality and safety with SolidWorks Simulation Professional. Read more

3D Scanning for CAD
July 22, 2014
11 a.m. PT
This webinar by NextEngine will demonstrate the workflow of scanning and converting mesh scan data into editable CAD solids using RapidWorks software. Read more

Five Tips to Become an Esri Geodatabase Power User
July 23, 2014
8 a.m. PT
This Safe Software webinar will show attendees how to load and export Esri Geodatabase, which has the ability to integrate with more than 325 data sources. Read more

NPDI Cost and Risk Management for Electronics Manufacturers
July 23, 2014
11 a.m. ET
Those who watch this Siemens webinar will learn how new product development cost and risk management will improve time to market and product success. Read more

One-Click 3D Model Creation with the Multidrive
July 29, 2014
11 a.m. PT
In this webinar, NextEngine will show how to fully automate the scanning of 3D objects using the NextEngine Multidrive, a dual-axis turntable that tilts and rotates small parts. Read more

How to Avoid Four Common Injection Molding Defects Using SW Plastics
July 30, 2014
2 p.m. ET
Viewers of this Fisher/Unitech webinar will learn about key metrics affecting the bottom line, which SolidWorks Plastics can predict. Read more

Introduction to SolidWorks Electrical
July 31, 2014
10 a.m. ET
Presenters of this Fisher/Unitech webinar will show how all members of a team can quickly see updates to a project and share all relevant documents in one central location. Read more

Reverse Engineering with RapidWorks
July 31, 2014
11 a.m. PT
Those who watch this NextEngine webinar will learn the process of turning mesh models into fully parametric solid models using RapidWorks v3.5. Read more

Bluebeam Extreme Conference 2014
July 31–August 1, 2014
Hollywood, California
At this two-day conference, Bluebeam Software will provide users with an opportunity to learn from top industry innovators. Read more

The Ultimate Revit Custom Material Marathon
August 6, 2014
11 a.m. PT
Viewers of this Novedge webinar will learn how to find, create, and manage their own custom material libraries in Autodesk Revit. Read more

Early Design in a BIM Workflow with Vectorworks
August 13, 2014
11 a.m. PT
This webinar by Novedge will begin with an introduction to design principles specifically targeted to the early phases of a creative building information modeling (BIM) workflow. Read more

For a complete list of CAD meetings, conferences, training sessions, and more, check out our calendar of events on Cadalyst.com. Are you hosting an event that you would like to include in our calendar? Submit details at least two weeks in advance to news@cadalyst.com.

Epson Updates, Expands Selection of Large-Format Color Printers and Scanners
New offerings in the SureColor T-Series range from 24" to 44" wide, and from less than $3,000 to more than $11,000. Read more

Save Time in AutoCAD with Associative Section Views
Drawing section views in AutoCAD can be such a tedious process, and the many updates that can occur during design changes make it even worse. Watch the video

About the Author: Cadalyst Staff

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AutoCAD Tips!

Autodesk Technical Evangelist Lynn Allen guides you through a different AutoCAD feature in every edition of her popular "Circles and Lines" tutorial series. For even more AutoCAD how-to, check out Lynn's quick tips in the Cadalyst Video Gallery. Subscribe to Cadalyst's free Tips & Tools Weekly e-newsletter and we'll notify you every time a new video tip is published. All exclusively from Cadalyst!Follow Lynn on Twitter

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